David Raven's relief as Yogi's departure prompted new Caley Thistle contract
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DAVID Raven has gone from unwanted to indispensable in the last month – and it was prompted by John Hughes’ departure.
The former Caley Thistle boss had made it clear fan-favourite Raven was no longer part of his plans and it was not until Hughes severed his ties with the club last month that the defender, who was out of contract, could plan for a future in the Highlands.
It was a huge relief to Raven to pen his two-year extension, citing the strain it put on his family being in limbo. Plans had already been made to move and it was not until Hughes left that he was told he could shelve his relocation.
Caley Jags fans whole-heartedly backed Raven against the former manager, displaying banners at home games and coining “One David Raven” as their unofficial anthem.
Raven labelled it a “snowball effect”, culminating in his telling crowning as fans’ player of the year on the final day of the season. But with his future sorted for the next two years, Raven can finally look forward to playing football again.
“It’s been a strange few months – from leaving one minute to staying the next. We had made plans to go and started getting rid of things around the house, to get ready for the move,” he said.
“I was training at a club that I loved and I’m suddenly told I’m not wanted. I tried to keep as positive as I can and that was the tough bit for me.
“I knew from the start of last season that the manager didn’t want me – the writing was on the wall. I went to see him in March or April, just to clarify what I already knew was coming. I’m not stupid, I’ve been in the game long enough and I just wanted to get it from the horse’s mouth.
“The reaction from the fans was unbelievable. The longer it went on, the reaction got bigger and bigger. It snowballed and it blew me away, to be honest.
“There’s no better feeling than being somewhere you are wanted and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth back into it. I was saying to my wife that going into work at times was pretty tough, because you knew the writing was on the wall.”
It was well known there was little love lost between Raven and Hughes, which saw the former Liverpool man bizarrely ostracised in the second half of last season.
What seemed like a farewell cameo on the final day against Dundee was handed to him by Hughes, just a week before the latter’s departure. There was not much of a relationship to speak of between the pair but according to Raven, that was the case for much of the first-team squad. He bears no ill-will towards his ex-boss but was honest about the atmosphere between the two of them.
“We didn’t speak much but that was the same with a lot of the lads. There was no ill feeling – it was business and it was as simple as that,” he said. “I’m not going to invite him for a pint and I’m sure he wouldn’t invite me for one either. I don’t expect to be best mates with gaffers.
“I thought him leaving would change things but I didn’t believe it until I saw it. The players are the last to know with these things and we’d only heard the same rumours as everyone else. I was baffled as to why he would want to leave and I still am. Why would he want to go?
“I can’t sign at a club where the manager doesn’t want me, so I needed to wait and see what he was doing.”
“After the manager left, I was approached saying not to sign anything elsewhere because there would be an offer on the table. It was flattering talking to the chairman and the directors.”
The relief of signing a new contract was not just a burden off his shoulders, but those of his wife Hannah and daugher Isla too.
“It was harder on the family more so than me because they didn’t know where they were going or what they were doing,” added Raven. “If I moved on, I’d still be doing the same thing as a footballer but they didn’t know what was next.”
